III 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. CON. RES. 25 

Welcoming the independence of the Republic of South Sudan, congratulating 

the people of South Sudan for freely and peacefully expressing their 

will through an internationally accepted referendum, and calling on the 

Governments and people of Sudan and South Sudan to peacefully resolve 

outstanding issues including the final status of Abyei. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 18, 2011 

Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. WICKER, and Mr. 

LEVIN) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Welcoming the independence of the Republic of South Sudan, 

congratulating the people of South Sudan for freely and 

peacefully expressing their will through an internationally 

accepted referendum, and calling on the Governments 

and people of Sudan and South Sudan to peacefully 

resolve outstanding issues including the final status of 

Abyei. 

Whereas the United States was a witness to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which marked the 

end of more than 2 decades of civil war between North 

and South Sudan that resulted in the deaths of more 

than 2,000,000 people; 


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Whereas the CPA provided the framework for the historic 

referendum held between January 9, 2011, and January 

15, 2011, in which the people of South Sudan voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence; 

Whereas the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), as 

established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1590 on March 24, 2005, was instrumental in supporting the implementation of the CPA; 

Whereas the mandate for the United Nations Mission in 

Sudan (UNMIS) expired on July 9, 2011, with the completion of the CPA Interim Period; 

Whereas the mandate for the United Nations Mission in 

South Sudan (UNMISS), as established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1996 (2011), commenced on July 9, 2011; 

Whereas, on February 7, 2011, the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission announced that the people of South 

Sudan voted in favor of succession by a margin of 98.8 

percent, and President Bashir, on behalf of the Government of Sudan, accepted the results of the referendum; 

Whereas the African Union, the Arab League, the United 

Nations Secretary-General’s Panel on the Referenda in 

Sudan, Sudanese Network for Democratic Elections 

(SuNDE), Sudanese Group for Democracy and Elections 

(SuGDE), and the Carter Center were among those to 

report that voting in the referendum was credible and 

transparent, allowing the people of South Sudan to freely 

express their desire for independence; 

Whereas several outstanding issues and potential points of 

conflict remain unresolved between the Government of 

Sudan and the Government of South Sudan, including 


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the final status of the contested area of Abyei, disputed 

border areas, popular consultations, citizenship rights 

and nationality, division of oil resources and profits, currency, international debt and assets, and other matters; 

Whereas the CPA parties signed an agreement on June 20, 

2011, on temporary administrative and security arrangements for Abyei, including the establishment of a United 

Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei and the redeployment of all military forces of the Government of 

Sudan from the area; 

Whereas fighting in Southern Kordofan over the past month 

has resulted in deaths and injuries to civilians, the displacement of thousands of residents, and restricted access 

for humanitarian workers despite the framework agreement for Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states signed 

by the Government of Sudan and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North on June 28, 2011; 

Whereas the needs for security, development, and democracybuilding are great throughout Sudan and South Sudan, 

and the United States and the international community 

have invested significant resources in order to provide assistance to the people of both countries; 

Whereas more than 2,000,000 refugees and internally displaced persons from Sudan and South Sudan continue to 

be displaced from their homes; 

Whereas lasting peace and stability for all of Sudan cannot 

be realized until a comprehensive peace in Darfur is secured and an appropriate mechanism for accountability 

and justice is established for those responsible for atrocities and crimes against humanity; 


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Whereas the United States has a compelling national interest 

in the security, stability, and development of Sudan and 

South Sudan in order to prevent conflict, humanitarian 

crises, and the establishment of safe havens for terrorists; 

Whereas Sudan was the first country to formally recognize 

the Republic of South Sudan on July 9, 2011; and 

Whereas the United States Government formally recognized 

the Republic of South Sudan as a sovereign and independent state on July 9, 2011: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That the Senate— 

3 (1) welcomes the independence of the Republic 

4 of South Sudan and recognizes South Sudan as the 

5 newest member of the international community; 

6 (2) congratulates the people of South Sudan for 

7 freely and peacefully expressing their desire for inde8 pendence through an internationally accepted ref9 erendum, and notes the Government of Sudan’s rec10 ognition of the results of the referendum and South 

11 Sudan’s independence; 

12 (3) commends the people and leaders of South 

13 Sudan on their efforts to reach this historic mile14 stone as well as the members of the international 

15 community that assisted them, including the United 

16 States, the European Union and its member states, 

17 Norway, the United Nations, the African Union and 

18 the AU High-Level Implementation Panel, the Arab 


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1 League, the Intergovernmental Authority on Devel2 opment, neighboring countries, and others; 

3 (4) calls on the Governments of Sudan and 

4 South Sudan to continue high level engagement to 

5 resolve outstanding matters relating to the final sta6 tus of Abyei, disputed border areas, the completion 

7 of popular consultations, citizenship and nationality, 

8 division of oil resources and profits, currency, inter9 national debt and assets, and other matters in order 

10 to ensure a smooth transition to two states and to 

11 mitigate points of conflict; 

12 (5) calls on all sides to fully implement their 

13 June 20, 2011, agreement on temporary arrange14 ments for the contested Abyei area and swiftly es15 tablish a cessation of hostilities in Southern 

16 Kordofan to facilitate the delivery and resupply of 

17 humanitarian assistance; 

18 (6) welcomes the deployment of up to 4,200 

19 Ethiopian peacekeepers to Abyei and the new United 

20 Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to pro21 vide security and stability in Sudan; 

22 (7) calls on the Government of Sudan to allow 

23 for continued United Nations peacekeeping oper24 ations in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states to 


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1 support new security arrangements and the delivery 

2 of humanitarian assistance; 

3 (8) calls on the United States Government and 

4 international community, in coordination with the 

5 Governments of Sudan and South Sudan, to support 

6 peace, rule of law, security, and good governance in 

7 Sudan and South Sudan in order to— 

8 (A) promote security and stability in both 

9 countries, especially in critical areas such as 

10 Darfur, Blue Nile, and Southern Kordofan and 

11 in Abyei; 

12 (B) promote the human and civil rights of 

13 all—including southerners living in Sudan and 

14 northerners living in South Sudan—through 

15 laws and regulations fully respected by both 

16 governments; 

17 (C) encourage the Government of South 

18 Sudan to engage opposition parties to foster 

19 open political space and vibrant democratic in20 stitutions; 

21 (D) encourage the Government of Sudan 

22 to facilitate the development of multiple polit23 ical parties with freedom of speech and associa24 tion; 


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1 (E) provide technical assistance and exper2 tise to the Government of South Sudan; 

3 (F) promote access to humanitarian and 

4 development aid for the people of Sudan and 

5 South Sudan, with a focus on the critical areas 

6 of education, health care, and infrastructure, 

7 and paying particular attention to historically 

8 marginalized areas, including Darfur, Southern 

9 Kordofan and Blue Nile states, and Eastern 

10 Sudan; 

11 (G) encourage the Governments of Sudan 

12 and South Sudan to prevent terrorist groups 

13 from using their territories and to continue to 

14 cooperate with the United States on counterter15 rorism priorities; and 

16 (H) encourage the Governments of Sudan 

17 and South Sudan to continue to work together 

18 in a productive relationship that recognizes the 

19 mutual need for cooperation and an open flow 

20 of people and goods across borders and to re21 frain from the use of proxy forces to foment 

22 conflict; 

23 (9) urges that the Darfur peace process remain 

24 a priority in United States relations with the GovVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:03 Jul 18, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SC25.ATS SC25

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1 ernment of Sudan and receives appropriate attention 

2 and resources, including— 

3 (A) continued high level engagement to se4 cure a just and lasting peace in Darfur; 

5 (B) a commitment to ensuring humani6 tarian access to vulnerable populations; and 

7 (C) sustained support for the African 

8 Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur 

9 (UNAMID) and its mandate to protect civilians 

10 and move freely without seeking permission 

11 from the armed forces of the Government of 

12 Sudan; and 

13 (10) welcomes the anticipated nomination of a 

14 United States ambassador to the Republic of South 

15 Sudan. 

Æ 


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